How you think about your money has a huge effect on how you spend it. So, it’s weird that we often say we “own” something before we really do. Break that habit to get a better understanding of your own finances.

As personal finance site My Mixed Up Money explains, most of us probably don’t fully own our homes, cars, or even some of our furniture. We say they’re “ours” because who else’s would they be? Except, until they’re paid off, they’re probably technically owned by a bank or other financial institution. Recognizing this and calling it what it is can go a long way towards changing our mindsets about money:

When did we start to believe that everything we’ve put $500 towards is actually ours? I appreciate that you are excited about the new things you purchased over the weekend, I really am. But I’m also a little bit worried. Referring to something as your “own” is something that I am sure (not sure at all) was crafted by a really intelligent marketing and sales team.

While it may sound silly, if you referred to your car as “the car I’m buying from the bank,” or if you referred to your home as “the house the bank is letting me live in until I pay it off,” you might think differently about borrowing money. Maybe buying clothes with a credit card, or buying a new car just because you don’t like the look of this old one anymore wouldn’t sound so attractive. Or, if you’ve paid off some of your assets, maybe the sentence “I’m thinking of trading in my car for a new car that a bank will let me drive while I make payments for four years” wouldn’t sound as appealing. That mental barrier can help keep you in check in a world that wants you to spend more money than you probably have.